Request for Information

The First Responder Smart Tracking (FRST) Challenge seeks information that may be useful for constructing a focused competition that is supplementary to the current competition. In the FRST Challenge main competition, teams build complete prototype systems to track first responders indoors within 1 meter accuracy without pre-existing infrastructure. The main challenge competitors will produce prototypes (hardware, software, and algorithms) that must support a variety of first responder missions with a goal of market-ready prototypes by the end of the competition (Q4 2023). Please see https://frstchallenge.com/ for a description of the primary FRST Challenge.

Please return responses to https://forms.gle/8AK9B2ePKYCVb91u9.

This Request for Information (RFI) seeks input from the stakeholder community on potential competition focus areas that may benefit the competitors within the FRST Challenge and the indoor location tracking market in general. This supplementary competition will result in hardware, software, and algorithms that complement current competitors by providing technology or solutions that multiple competitors can potentially interoperate with or integrate into their prototypes.

This focused competition is not seeking technologies that address the full suite of capabilities required in the main competition. Examples may include, but not be limited to, power systems, communication, rugged containers, single sensors, integrated sensor suite, beacons, data standards, software that enables interoperability of competitor data with existing first responder systems, or artificial intelligence for multi-sensor integration.

Responses can describe speculative ideas, current prototype capabilities, and/or extensions of current government or commercial off-the-shelf technologies. All submissions must specifically describe how the technology solves an issue of indoor location-based services and is potentially useful to one or more competitors in the main competition. In addition, submissions should indicate the current and expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) levels for the proposed technology where applicable. See these resources for more information:

Submission of Responses

We encourage existing FRST Challenge competitors, first responders, researchers, industry, government, standards bodies, and others to suggest topics. Responses to this RFI should be in the form of a PDF file entered into the form at https://forms.gle/8AK9B2ePKYCVb91u9. There are no restrictions on who may respond to this RFI. However, submitters with multiple ideas should submit each one separately to enable the FRST team to effectively review and organize the suggested topics.

Responses should be between 250 and 2000 words and can include figures. The text should be readable with a minimum of 11-point font and margins no smaller than 1”. Please address the issue related to location tracking, a potential solution if known, the category of solution (hardware, networking, software, power, etc.), and any benefits a solution might have for indoor location tracking. An acceptable response could also be an identification of a fundamental problem that needs to be solved even if no solution is currently known.

RFI responses inform the potential development of a supplementary competition and will not be used as entries into the supplemental competition. Responding to this RFI is voluntary and will not affect the judging of any future competition that may arise from the submission.

If a supplementary competition is announced, official rules for it will be published separately from the rules for the existing competition. Competitors will have the same general legal requirements (e.g., eligibility) as the current FRST Challenge rules. https://frstchallenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/FRST-Rules_v1.0_25February2022.pdf